Shopping bag



Aug. 10, 1965 H. VINEBERG SHOPPING BAG Filed MarICh 23. 1964 II-VN -lili |||||l IIILI Il ||||I PATENT AGENT United States Patent 3,139,765 SHPPENG 13A-G .loseph H. Vineherg, 235 Somerset St. W., Apt. 1267, ttawa, ntario, Canada Filed Mar. 23, 1%4, er. No. 353,872 Claims. (Cl. 229-54) This invention relates to a bag, and more particularly it relates to a handle structure associated with a bag.

At the present time a conventional type of bag known as a shopping bag is in widespread use. The shopping bag is usually made of paper and is relatively large. Such a bag may comprise a pair of main side walls forming the body of the bag with an open end or mouth, and a pair of handle loops, one of the handle loops being attached to each of the main side walls adjoining the mouth. The loops are normally aligned so that when the mouth portions of the side walls are brought together the two hanle loops are in a position where a hand may be passed through the two loops to carry the bag. The handle loops frequently add ve or six inches to the length of the bags,

and as was previously mentioned the bags are large often having a length of at least ifteen inches for the bag proper. The total length of bag and handle, or the carrying length of the bag, is sufliciently great to make handling awkward in many cases, and the handling may be particularly awkward for shorter people where the bottom of the bag may touch the ground.

The present invention seeks to reduce the awkwardness in handling such a bag by providing the bag with a plu rality of handles extending different distances from the bag proper.

lt is therefore an object of this invention to provide a shopping bag having means whereby the overall carrying length of the bag may be shortened when desired.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which FIGURE l is a partial side elevation of a bag in accordance with the invention,

FGURE 2 is a section on line 2-2 of FlGURE l,

FGURE 3 is a partial side elevation of a somewhat modified form of bag, and

"IGURE 4 is a side elevation of still another modified form of bag.

Referring to FIGURES l and 2 of the drawing, 1li' is a bag conventionally formed of flexible sheet material such as heavy paper' or the like. The bag has opposed side walls 11 terminating in an open month 12. The bag wall edge portions defining the mouth are reinforced by inturning a marginal section 13 to form a two-layer edge portion 14, section 13 being adhesively secured to the contacting surface of the bag walls.

A pair of opposed handle members each comprises a strand of strong, semi-rigid material, such as twisted paper, plastic composition, or the like. The member 15 has its end portions secured between the layers of the edge portion 14 as by means of a strip lo of cardboard, heavy paper or the like, to which it is stapled as indicated at 17. Each handle member is thus forrr-d into a handreceiving loop. As previouslyr indicated, the handle member strands, while flexible, are semirigid whereby the loops formed thereby are substantially form-retaining and project upwardly or outwardly from the mouth of the bag for easy access. Each loop usually has an approximate height above the bag mouth of four to six inches.

in accordance with the invention, a second pair of opposed handle members 13 are provided. Each handle member 1S comprises a strand of similar material to that member 15 but is of considerably shorter length. Each member 13 has its end portions disposed between the end portions of a member 15 and may be stapled therewith to strip 16. The loop formed by handle member 13 3,19%,765 Paten-red Aug. 1Q, 1965 "ice is thus disposed concentrically within the loop formed by the adjacent handle member 1S. The approximate height of the loop of handle member 18 above the bag mouth is an inch and a half to two inches.

it will be apparent, therefore, that the effective carrying length of the bag can be reduced as much as four or tive inches by employing the handle members 1% instead of members 15.

Handle members 15 are, of course, necessary since they permit expansion of the bag to accommodate bulky articles and thus, under some circumstances, they must be employed. However, when the bag is not filled to the top, the user has the choice of using either set of handles each of which is readily accessible.

A feature of the handle structure described in the modification of FIGURES l and 2 resides in the fact that each of the pairs of handle members 1S and 1S is formed from a single unitary strand, extending continuously from an end portion of member 15 to the adjacent end portion of member l. The other adjacent pair of end portions of members 1S and 13 are joined by the bend portion 19. Thus, the provision of the second handle loop 18 may be accomplished in a simple and inexpensive manner.

The modification of FIGURE 3 is closely similar to that just described but includes auxiliary bag closing means comprising a plurality of buttons 2l) on one side wall 1i adjacent mouth l2. A tie string 21 is anchored to each button 2t) and is adapted to be passed over the bag mouth and secured to a complementary, opposed button 22 on the other side Wall 11.

FIGURE 4 iuustrates another modification wherein handle members 23 and 24 corresponding respectively to handle members 15 and 18) are formed as separate lengths of strand. This may be desirable under some circumstances. Moreover, such a structure would make it possible to employ strands of different colors for the respective members Z3 and 24, which would contribute to the attractiveness of the bag.

rthe modiiication of FEGURE 4 includes the provision of a third handle means located at a still closer distance to the bottom of the bag. As shown, this handle means comprises a pair of aligned handholes 25 in the bag walls 11 adjacent the mouth 12 and located between the end portions of the handle members 23 and 24. Thus, the structure described provides a choice of three bag handles each at a diderent distance from the bottom of the bag.

The modiiication of FIGURE, 4 also includes means for fastening the bag in compact, folded form to improve the convenience of carrying or storing the bag when empty. This means, as shown, comprises a flexible ribbon or strip 26 of fabric, plastic composition, paper or the like. Gne end of the strip 26 is fixed to the bag wall 11 by means of a button 27. The other end of the strip is provided with a button hole 28 by means of which it can be releasably attached to button 27. The length of strip 26 is such that it will encompass the folded bag shown in FGURB 4. When the strip 26 is not in use, it.

may be placed inside the bag by passing it through a slot 29 in the bag wall.

The structure of FIGURE 4 also lends itself to convenient formation of a multi-color bag to enhance the attractiveness or advertising value thereof. rl`hus, the handle members 23 and Z4 may be of contrasting colors, and the strip 26 may be of a third contrasting color.

l claim:

1. ln a shopping bag having a pair of opposed side walls and a mouth defined by marginal portions oi said ide walls, iirst handle means comprising a iirst strand having end portions fixed to one of said side walls and an intermediate handle loop projecting from said mouth, and a second strand having its end portions fixed to the other of said side walls, and an intermediate handle loop projecting from said mouth, said handle loops being of substantially equal length, and second handle means comprising a third strand having end portions iiXed to one of said side walls between said end portions of said first strand and an intermediate handle loop projecting from said mouth, and a fourth strand having end portions fixed to the other of said side walls between said end portions of said second strand and an intermediate handle loop projecting from said mouth, said second handle loops being of substantially equal length less than that of said rst handle loops.

2. A shopping bag as defined in claim 1, said irst and third strands comprising a unitary length of semi-rigid material, and said second and fourth strands comprising a unitary length of semi-rigid material.

3. A shopping bag as dened in claim 1, each said side wall having a handle therein located between said strand end portions therein, said hand holes being aligned and constituting third handle means.

4. A shopping bag as dehned in elairn 1, the perpendicular height of each of said first handle loops from said bag mouth being two to four inches greater than the perpendicular height of each of said second handle loops from said bag mouth.

5. A shopping bag as defined in claim 1, the perpendicular height of each of said first handle loops from said bag mouth being four to six inches and the perpendicular height of each of said second handle loops from said bag mouth being one and one-half to two inches.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNTED STATES PATENTS 1,193,492 7/16 Way 229-54 1,916,449 5/33 Rose 229-54 2,454,013 1l/48 Scherzin ger.

2,992,768 7/61 Gatward 229-5 4 FRANKLEN T. GARRETT, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A SHOPPING BAG HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSED SIDE WALLS AND A MOUTH DEFINED BY MARGINAL PORTIONS OF SAID SIDE WALL, FIRST HANGLE MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST STRAND HAVING END PO/RTIONS FIXED TO ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND AN INTERMEDIATE HANDLE LOOP PROJECTING FROM SAID MOUTH, AND A SECOND STRAND HAVING ITS END PORTIONS FIEXE TO THE OTHER OF SAID SIDE WALLS, AND AN INTERMEDIATE HANDLE LOOP PROJECTING FROM SAID MOUTH, SAID HANDLE LOOPS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL LENGTH, AND SECOND HANDLE MEANS COMPRISING A THIRD STRAND HAVING END PORTIONS FIEXD TO ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS BETWEEN SAID END POETIONS OF SAID FIRST STRAND AND AN INTERMEDIATE HANDLE LOOP PROJECTING FROM SAID MOUTH, AND A FOURTH STRAND HAVING END PORTIONS FIXED TO THE OTHE OF SAID SIDE WALLS BETWEEN SAID END PORTIONS OF SAID SECOND STRAND AND AN INTERMEDIATE HANDLE LOOP PROJECTING FROM SAID MOUTH, SAID SECOND HANDLE LOOPS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL LENGHT LESS THAN THAT OF SAID FIRST HANDLE LOOPS. 